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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29131167">your fingers tracing the outline of flight</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/blackkat/pseuds/blackkat'>blackkat</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Zabrak Bros prompts [5]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Ambiguous/Open Ending, Identity Porn, M/M, Romance, Secret Relationship</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 06:35:10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,812</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29131167</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/blackkat/pseuds/blackkat</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>“You really think sneaking out’s a good idea?”</p><p>Waxer freezes, one hand on the control panel, a pricking itch washing across his shoulders. He winces inwardly, but straightens, turns, and says, “Captain! Sorry, sir, I was just going to inspect the perimeter.”</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>CT-7567 | Rex &amp; Waxer (Star Wars), Savage Opress/Waxer (Star Wars)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Zabrak Bros prompts [5]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1941697</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>48</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>436</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>your fingers tracing the outline of flight</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“You really think sneaking out’s a good idea?”</p><p>Waxer freezes, one hand on the control panel, a pricking itch washing across his shoulders. He winces inwardly, but straightens, turns, and says, “Captain! Sorry, sir, I was just going to inspect the perimeter.”</p><p>Rex doesn’t look moved by the explanation, but then, Boil hadn’t seemed to buy it either. Waxer might need to start coming up with better ones, given everything.</p><p>“There's a new Sith out there,” Rex says, though he still hasn’t moved away from the spot against the wall where he’s leaning. “You know that better than anyone.”</p><p>This time Waxer really does wince, and the urge to hide his arm and its sling behind his back is a stupid one, but—Rex has the same kind of look as Cody, sometimes, and it makes Waxer feel like a new shiny, even if he’s technically older. Calm, patient, not judgmental but the nonverbal equivalent of <em>are you sure you want to tell me that lie</em> all packed up with a touch of tired forbearance.</p><p>Waxer probably deserves it this time. He only just managed to survive the attack this afternoon, and he probably shouldn’t even be out of medical yet, but he’d pushed Kix into letting him rest in his bunk to make more room for other patients. And—he <em>shouldn’t</em> be sneaking out, but at the same time, he can't not. There was so much shelling this afternoon, and too many hyena bombers got past the fighters.</p><p>Even more than that, the Sith turned up, and even General Skywalker couldn’t quite manage to hold him off. The general is still in medical with a cracked skull, and Waxer managed to get his arm broken in three places when he tried to protect Skywalker after he’d been knocked out, but—</p><p>That just makes him want to leave more. It was a close call, and the civilians here were in so much danger. Waxer just needs to <em>check</em>.</p><p>“I know, sir,” he says quietly, meeting Rex's eyes. “I just—there's someone who needs my help.”</p><p>Rex stares at him for a moment, then sighs, rubbing a hand over his face. “Cody is going to <em>murder</em> me if I let his favorite lieutenant get killed,” he says, muffled, and Waxer can't help but laugh a little at that aggrieved tone. Offended, Rex huffs, fixing Waxer with a look through his fingers. “It’s not <em>funny</em>. He doesn’t let anyone borrow you or your ARF troops, do you know what I had to do to get him to <em>agree</em>?”</p><p>“I'm sure it was terrible and backbreaking, sir,” Waxer says diplomatically, struggling to contain his smile. When Rex narrows his eyes at him, Waxer raises a hand, and offers, “I’m not even in armor, Captain. And I’ll keep my face covered. If the Sith is watching, he won't even realize who I am.”</p><p>“Let me guess, you convinced the commander to help you,” Rex says dryly.</p><p>Waxer isn't about to throw Ahsoka under the bus, particularly when she helped him find civilian clothes. “Commander Cody doesn’t know,” he says innocently, and just manages to contain a smile at Rex's disbelieving look. “Sir, I’ll be back by the shift change, I promise.”</p><p>There's a long moment, and then Rex heaves a sigh, crossing the hall to reach for the control pad. He punches his code in, slow and deliberate, giving Waxer ample time to commit it to memory, and then steps back as the door slides open. “Cody warned me you like to disobey orders by not hearing them,” he says dryly. “And to think, I didn’t believe him at first because you seem so <em>nice</em>.”</p><p>Waxer grins at him, relief beating bright in his chest. “Boil will tell you I'm the worst,” he says, and Rex snorts.</p><p>“I’d be more willing to accept that from someone who didn’t put Death Watch markings on his bucket,” he says, and Waxer shrugs a little. Boil has ideas about how to show he’s tough, and some of them are stupid, but he’s also pigheaded; nothing Waxer has ever said has made an impact.</p><p>“I’ll be back by morning,” he says again, holding Rex's gaze.</p><p>Rex stares at him for a second, sighs again. His mouth curves just a little, and he jerks his head at the door. “Early afternoon. You're injured, so I'm taking you off the duty roster for a day. We have a meeting tomorrow evening with the admiral, and I need you here for that.”</p><p>Disbelief flares, equal to the delight that follows close behind. “Yes, sir,” Waxer says quickly, and he’s never had the option of this much time, but—it’s incredible. He can <em>stay</em> <em>the night</em>. He hasn’t before—it’s always been stolen moments, quick meetings under the cover of night. Just thinking of an easy morning, without having to hide—Waxer kind of wants to kiss Rex for that.</p><p>“Have a good night,” Rex says, just a little amused, and Waxer flashes him a grin and slips past him, out into the start of the snow. The flakes are coming down thicker now, the drifts getting deeper, and the cold wind cuts through Waxer’s thinner clothes, but he scrambles over a snowbank anyway and manages to mostly keep his balance.</p><p>“And be <em>careful</em>!” Rex calls after him, and Waxer waves his good hand to show he heard, picking up a jog as he ducks into the forest that surrounds the base. There's no path, but Waxer’s been using this door out the back for a full month now, and he knows the route as well as he knows the main roads, even in the snow.</p><p>It’s a fairly long way through the forest to the town the base is ostensibly protecting, even if they’ve been ordered to focus more on the refinery beyond it. All of the buildings are tucked away beneath the vast trees, always at least a little gloomy, but Waxer finds he doesn’t mind nearly as much right now, with nothing but a hood over his head, as he does when he’s in full armor. Or maybe it’s because of the snow, drifting down through the branches high above and forming scattered drifts, patches of white across the dark earth. It’s strange, and a little wonderful, and Waxer finds he’s smiling as he picks his way around the edges of the town and towards a long, winding footpath that curls beneath the trees.</p><p>The sound of a creek marks the fact that he’s getting close, and Waxer picks up his pace a little, lengthening his strides as he crosses the small footbridge and jogs lightly down the hill, towards where lanterns are hung on a series of trees like a lighted street. At the end of it, bright in the growing evening gloom, is a house built into a massive trunk, sprawling around the base of the tree and climbing partway up it. It’s a strange, half-organic building, and Waxer loves it, loves the garden that’s growing half-wild around the edges of it, and he can feel his heart lift. A flicker of movement between the lamps washes that jolt into pure happiness, and Waxer slows just to draw it out a little, the joy of that sighting.</p><p>“Savage!” he calls.</p><p>From where he’s crouched between two rows of bushes, Savage glances up, then rises quickly, long horns catching the light. They’ve been painted by a shaky hand, painstakingly covered in black and red and gold, and the sight of that decoration is a hopeful one, another little bit of joy for the night. Waxer smiles, opening the low gate to let himself through, and steps in, heart in his throat.</p><p>“You’re all right,” he says with relief. “After the attack—I was worried.”</p><p>Savage takes three long steps, then stops short, eyes falling on Waxer’s wrapped arm. “You're not,” he says accusingly, but when he reaches out to touch the sling his hand is gentle. “What happened?”</p><p>There's no hiding that he’s a clone from Savage, but Waxer doesn’t want him to worry. Savage doesn’t know what his armor looks like, has never seen Waxer with his helmet on. If he knows that Waxer singlehandedly faced down the Sith that’s been terrorizing the refinery and the base, he’ll be scared, and Waxer can't put him through that. So he smiles, catching Savage’s hand before he can look more closely and find the bruises where his vambrace was crushed by the Force.</p><p>“I'm a soldier,” he says. “And there was fighting, that’s all. I'm fine.”</p><p>Savage’s expression doesn’t lighten, but he uses their linked hands to pull Waxer closer, then reaches up, brushing his hood back. Leaning in, he rests their foreheads together, and Waxer smiles a little to himself, closing his eyes and looping his arms over Savage’s shoulders.</p><p>“How’s Feral?” he asks softly.</p><p>Savage huffs, but there's a deep, pleased rumble in his chest when he says, “Better. I got—I found another way to get his medicine.”</p><p>“You found someone willing to sell it?” Waxer asks, delighted. Savage had told him that the only treatment for Feral was on Dathomir, and they weren’t about to go back there to bargain with anyone. Savage has never said specifically, but Waxer’s gotten the impression that they escaped more than left, and that as Nightbrothers going back would be a death sentence. “For a good price?”</p><p>Just for an instant, Savage’s expression twists. “It’s—a high price,” he says, rough, and his hand curls around Waxer’s waist, pulls him even closer. “But I’ll pay it. For Feral.”</p><p>Waxer touches his painted horns, something soft and fond turning over in his chest. “He’s lucky,” he says simply. “You're good to him.”</p><p>Savage breathes out, shuddering, and wraps both arms fully around Waxer, clutching him to his chest. “You were in the fighting,” he says, a clear change of subject. “You can't—they said there was a Force-user. You should avoid him.”</p><p>Waxer’s the de facto leader of the ARF squad here, and only just beneath Rex when it comes to authority. He <em>can't</em> avoid the Sith if he appears, particularly when General Skywalker or Commander Tano is in danger. But—he doesn’t have to tell Savage that. Savage doesn’t know his armor, and he won't recognize Waxer even if he does see one of the attacks from up close. Waxer smiles ruefully, but he buries his face in Savage’s shoulder and hangs on, enjoying the press of Savage’s cheek against his temple, the way he practically surrounds Waxer as he holds him.</p><p>“I’ll be careful,” he says, but—as long as he can protect this town, protect Savage and his brothers, he’ll be happy. No matter what happens, Savage is worth protecting, and Waxer will always try to come back to him, whether there’s a Sith on the battlefield or not.</p>
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